Monday, 16 December 2013

Remediation at Nicholson Resource Management Area

Photos I took on the weekend before Halloween and only now getting around to posting.

Nicholson Resource Management Area is an area that was donated to the Royal Botanical Gardens some time back by a private land owner. Not much was done with it by the land owner, and the RBG has had to devote their resources to other areas of concern. So they put out the call to some of their volunteers to do some remediation. And I answered the call.It sits in area butted up against and just below the Niagara Escarpment. It’s one of the areas that will be encompassed in the Cootes To Escarpment Park System. One area in particular had become swampy - and wasn’t supposed to be. Just as much as draining wetlands is not a good thing, apparently areas becoming wetlands that aren’t naturally wetlands isn’t good either. Don’t know all the ins and outs, but this is what I was told.

On a cold and windy and rainy day, ten volunteers and four staff braved the elements to remediate the area. Those efforts included removing buckthorn, and planting 124 trees and shrubs, over a 100 dogwood stakes and nine liters of bur oak acorns.

I had hiked out there, and was already a bit damp when I arrived, but wading around in water up past my ankles for a few hours, with a driving rain the whole time, and I was completely soaked through. Despite all the rain gear. Still enjoyed the experience a lot though.